HANSA BRANDENBURG on fire in the Indian Ocean

It has been confirmed today that all 17 crew of the Leonhardt und Blumberg-managed 1,740 teu HANSA BRANDENBURG could be safely evacuated from the vessel after the ship caught fire in the Indian Ocean. While the crew has been taken onboard the 2,702 teu DONAU TRADER to be placed ashore at Port Louis, the burning HANSA BRANDENBURG is presently adrift some 200 nm off Mauritius.

The fate of the ship is unclear at the moment, but first photos from the scene indicate that the fire damage is severe and that parts of the deck cargo and superstructure have been destroyed.

Mauritian Authorities and the island nation’s National Coast Guard are monitoring the situation and coordinating any further action to mitigate any potential damage to the environment. The cause of the incident is yet unknown.

At the time the fire broke out, the HANSA BRANDENBURG was on charter to Pacific International Lines and was underway from Singapore to Durban. The crossing was part of a routine westbound trip on PIL’s ‘SW3′ Far East to South Africa and West Africa service.

This weekly PIL standalone service trades on a 70-day round trip with a fleet of eight ships in the size range from 1,732 teu to 1,800 teu. Two sailings per cycle are presently skipped.

The DONAU TRADER which rushed to rescue the crew of the HANSA BRANDENBURG is managed by Hermann Buss of Germany and trades on charter to the French Line CMA CGM. The ship is trading on CMA CGM’s, Delmas’ and Maersk Line’s joint Far East to West Africa loop ‘FEW5’, alternatively known as ‘WAX2’. The DONAU TRADER was headed from Cape Town to Colombo when she received a distress call from the burning ship and changed course to reach the distressed vessel.